Flickinger Performing Arts Center

J2B2 is an all-star bluegrass supergroup featuring four legendary, award-winning musicians – John Jorgenson on acoustic guitar, mandolin and vocals; Herb Pedersen on banjo, acoustic guitar and vocals; Mark Fain on bass; and Patrick Sauber on acoustic guitar and vocals – delivering bluegrass like no one has ever heard it before. The band’s undeniable live shows have received stellar reviews and have the bluegrass world buzzing. The four combine forces to form a spot-on union of impeccable musicianship, incomparable songwriting, incredible harmony vocals (a fresh twist combining bluegrass with elements of West Coast folk rock) and seasoned showmanship. This is the “high lonesome sound” of American roots music at its finest.

Jorgenson and Pedersen are founders (with Chris Hillman) of the formative country rock group Desert Rose Band. After working as a freelance musician in Southern California, Jorgenson met Hillman and soon formed the Desert Rose Band. In 1990, Jorgenson went on to found the Hellecasters and toured with Elton John’s band for six years. Artists ranging from Barbra Streisand to Bonnie Raitt to Earl Scruggs have sought out Jorgenson’s guitar work. Jorgenson portrayed Django Reinhardt in the Hollywood feature film Head in the Clouds. In 2008, Jorgenson won a Grammy for Best Country Instrumental with Brad Paisley and was nominated for Best Bluegrass Album with Earl Scruggs.

Masters of Soul-a Motown Revue, has been called the most entertaining history lesson ever performed!  This show authentically reproduces the look, choreography, style and sound made famous by record labels that were relatively unknown at the time but went on to profoundly influence the history of popular music:  Motown Records, Stax and others. The performance goes beyond the music to preserve the integrity of the entire Motown experience.  For many, Masters of Soul is the ultimate stroll down memory lane. For younger generations, the show offers a way to experience a period in our country’s past that produced many of the greatest music acts ever recorded.

The show features a completely live performance with seasoned musicians and world-class performers from The TFC Band.  This group has toured extensively worldwide for more than 40 years, performing at private events, festivals, casinos, corporate events and military bases from coast to coast and overseas, including tours of Europe and Africa.  After having toured together for decades, The TFC Band created the Masters of Soul show in 2008 as a way to heighten the experience for their fans and deliver the full package—a stage show which captures the sights, sounds and feel of the Motown era.

Based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the 10-person cast of Masters of Soul has performed to numerous sold-out audiences and garnered rave reviews across the country at venues ranging from community theaters and universities to performing arts venues and concert halls.

Children of Metropolis is the latest production by Scrap Arts Music.

It includes sixteen all-original music compositions written for over 145 self-made sculptural instruments (album released July 2023); a smattering of Scrap Arts Music’s signature action-choreography; and a whimsical story presented as a full-length B+W movie that's projected while the musicians perform live.  

With a retro-futuristic, sci-fi vibe that takes visual inspiration from German films of the 1920s, Scrap Arts Music’s Children of Metropolis is a fast-paced, all-acoustic percussive bonanza with five musicians bringing an original score to heart-pounding life.  

Children of Metropolis is a multi-year creation supported in part by the Canada Council for the Arts, Creative BC, Small Business BC, and FACTOR Canada. 

Huu Bac was born in Vietnam from parents of Chinese/Vietnamese descent.  His family moved to Canada when he was 2.  His musical journey started in Montreal, at McGill University, with a sound foundation in jazz guitar.  In 2002, he discovered the beauty of the Vietnamese monochord, the Dan Bau, under the guidance of master Pham Duc Thanh.  In 2003, an international study grant lead him to the Shanghai Conservatory where he learned the chinese fidlle, the Erhu, which he later perfected at Beijing Central Conservatory with professor Yang Xue and additional private lessons from master Chen Yaoxing.

Back in Montreal in 2006, an encounter with renown Peruvian composer Lucho Quequezana lead him perform in Peru with the group Sonidos Vivos.  Huu Bac’s intimate contact with afro-peruvian music and music from the Andes became a source of inspiration in his artistic journey, and lead him to learn the Andean bambo flute, the Quena.

From 2009 to 2015, he collaborated twice with the Cirque du Soleil, recording for the shows “Totem” and “Toruk”.  He also recorded for “Canotgraphie”, a show by artistic director Robert Lepage.  In 2010, he distinguished himself as finalist for the “Montreal Arts Council Diversity Award”.   As a composer, he has been continuously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Quebec Council for the Arts and Montreal Arts Council.

Nourrished by his travels and encounters, he dedicates himself to the composition and performance of a present day jazz music blending eastern and western colours, expressing his asian cultural heritage in the North American backdrop.